I have experienced deaths for each of the lifetimes I have reviewed during my past life meditations. While the circumstances of each death varied in cause and level of violence and human tragedy, each one was met with relief and an interesting sense of satisfaction. Also, as I was leaving the body I was able to see through my eyes and somehow outside at the entire situation at once. While I may sense some regret and/or judgment for missed opportunities, I also usually end up focused on the benefit and positive aspects of that lifetime.
As for the actual sensation of dying in the body, the easiest seemed to be dying from a slicing neck wound; I was a young east indian man and I shoved a girl out of harms way only to be struck in my neck...there was initially a sense of brief pressure at the site of the wound, then only a slow sense of peaceful weakening. I watched the little girl looking scared as my vision went, and was able to watch the entire scene and those around me fruitlessly trying to staunch the blood flow...no pain, no regret...only relief.
On another occasion, I had just committed murder and in turn was poisoned. While I saw myself writhing in pain, I only felt an increasing pressure in my chest...I think there was some disconnect between the mental aspect and the body sensing it was dying as the poison was killing the body through my stomach, but the pressure was my soul being wrenching out of my chest...at least that's the sense I get. Of course, no pain to go with the writhing...simply pressure in my chest...and again, a huge sense of relief, as I really did not like that guy...he was brutal, unattractive, bitter, angry, greedy, etc...but did the right thing in committing murder, and paying the price.
In a WWII lifetime I was riddled with machine gun fire and each bullet brought a point of high pressure...no pain, only relief and happiness and anticipation...I spent the next 17 years "over there", which is fairly long for me. While I had a very brief view of the entire scene after dying, I left quickly and didn't spend much time with the aftermath...I seemingly died in accordance with the plan and left to work on other things.
I have found that with that WWII lifetime I still hold some regret in that I was in charge of my small group and we all died. While we all planned to die, my actions postponed that death and we lived for a few more days pinned down in a very closed environment and I put myself through alot of self-loathing for having gotten us locked into the classic "box canyon"; we lived a little longer, plenty of time for me to question my decisions and ask myself "if only I had done this, maybe...", only now realizing the only choice was to die earlier or die later. This is the lesson I have only recently learned...and several of those guys who died with me then are with me now and always seem to be there with support and reassurance for me in whatever I am doing...planned in this lifetime to ensure I know they understood I did the right thing then? I can find no other reason...especially when they go out of their way to do it...and guidance says "why else?".
To me, each death is simply the transition home from this temporary "reality"...I cannot help but think that we serve ourselves best when we live life as if we were actors on a stage...play the part, live the role, be that larger than life actor who leaves nothing undone while performing...